1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to telephone communications devices. In particular, the invention relates to remote line access for a multi-line residential telephone.
2. Background of the Invention
A local telephone company typically provides services to a single line in subscriber's homes, leaving any extra lines unused. Individuals can request that service be provided to a second line so as to, for example, supply a separate phone line and distinct phone number in the home office or to provide different phone numbers for different members in the family. In recent years, the increased use of devices, such as fax machines and personal computer modem, that require telephone connectivity, has led to a further increase in the number of individuals requesting additional lines of telephone service. Accordingly, many homes are wired with two separate telephone lines. Some homes are even wired with as many as four separate telephone lines.
As multiple lines of telephone service are activated, multi-line telephone sets are then needed to access these multiple phone lines using a single telephone device. In a home application where there exist only two active lines, a dual-line telephone set is typically used by connecting the set to the two separate phone lines via two standard telephone cables. The user may then press buttons on the multi-line telephone set to select one line or the other line to make or receive a call. Many multi-line telephone sets also provide functionality to establish a conference connection state among two available lines and the user of the telephone set such that the user may establish a connection with both lines simultaneously. Thus by pressing buttons on the multi-line telephone set the user may switch between the two connections, either maintaining separate conversations or establishing a conference call whereby all three parties may converse together simultaneously across the two lines.
Multiple phone lines are even more commonplace in business environments where multiple lines are typically used to provide phone service to many locations within an organization. Depending on the size of the company, the number of lines could range from two to four lines in a single office location to hundreds or even thousands of lines that span multiple locations across a country or countries. Sophisticated private branch exchange (PBX) equipment is typically used to manage the routing of calls and other data within these large telephone communication systems. The PBX systems are often digital, complicated to configure and maintain, and expensive. Moreover, the PBX systems require central call routing hardware external to the telephone set. For these reasons, such systems are not well suited for residential applications.
In addition to enabling the making and receiving of multiple calls by multiple users of a commercial PBX system, such systems also often offer Direct Inward System Access (“DISA”). DISA is a service that allows users to dial into the PBX system from a telephone outside the system, and after entering an access code, to use the services of the PBX system remotely. Such a service offers many benefits to the user. Since some large companies operate their own private branch exchanges that span great distances, a user wishing to call a branch office across the country from a telephone not connected to the company's telephone system could dial into the system by making an inexpensive local call, and then access the DISA service to place the long-distance call to the branch office. Because DISA enables the user to place a call as if the user were physically calling from within the PBX system, the user incurs no long-distance telephone charges, and any long-distance charges that are incurred would be billed to the company number rather than the user.
While PBX systems are generally inappropriate for residential applications because of their complexity and cost, individuals would benefit from certain features provided by typical PBX systems. One such feature is DISA functionality. Residential users would benefit from being able to dial into one line and remotely access a second line to place calls that are billed to the user's residence rather than to the remote location. The user could then place long-distance calls from a remote location where such calls are either expensive or prohibited, and take advantage of the very low long-distance service rates typically provided to residential locations. Moreover, there exists a need to provide this service at significantly lower cost and lower technical complexity than is offered by PBX systems used today in business applications. As such, it is an object of this invention to provide a structure and means for remote line access for multi-line residential telephones that is inexpensive, easy to install and operate and allows users to utilize their home's multiple telephone lines from a remote location.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present specifications, drawings and claims.